Admissions

Students typically apply for admission to the Southwest Virginia Governor's School in the spring of their sophomore year. All applicants must complete the ENTIRE SWVGS Application Packet as well as any other requirements specific to their own school division. Applications are reviewed by selection committees in each participating school division. The selection committees consider standardized test scores, academic achievement, especially in math and science, teacher recommendations, and demonstrated interest in science and mathematics when evaluating and ranking student applications.

Students who:

are making A's with little effort

want to cover material at a faster pace

would like to have time to investigate ideas

would like to take rigorous science and math classes

want to be in a school that celebrates academic achievement and celebrates talented students just as much as talented athletes

want to choose courses that go beyond graduation requirements

want the experience of completing an independent, advanced scientific research project

want to optimize learning opportunities

want to attend a school filled with friends who have similar interests and goals

are looking for an academic challenge

are ready to take college classes

... should apply to SWVGS.

When Applying Students Should:

Attend the field trip to visit and tour SWVGS.the entire online New River Community College application as well as all pages of the Radford University Application including the In-State Tuition Rates page even though you will not pay tuition.

Ask a guidance counselor to complete the Student Record form and the School Recommendation form.

Ask three teachers - 1 math teacher, 1 science teacher, and 1 teacher of any other subject of your choice - to provide recommendations for you using the Faculty Recommendation forms.

Return the application and recommendation forms a guidance counselor or gifted resource teacher. The counselor will forward the completed application packet to the school division selection committee.

Make sure the ENTIRE application and recommendation forms are completed and in the hands of your guidance counselor or gifted resource teacher by application deadline set for your specific school division.